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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Mortality

Rural America in Crisis: The Changing Opioid Overdose Epidemic
Discusses the history of the opioid epidemic from 1999 through 2017 and its effect on rural communities, as well as key functions of public health programs that can help prevent opioid overdoses. Lists several resources regarding opioids and overdose prevention.
Author(s): Rita Noonan
Date: 11/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Indian Health Focus: Injuries 2017 Edition
Highlights a report on the mortality rates for American Indians and Alaska Natives. Details causes of death and compares rates to other races and to the U.S. as a whole.
Date: 10/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Indian Health Service
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QuickStats: Infant Mortality Rate, by Urbanization Level — National Vital Statistics System, United States, 2007 and 2015
Bar chart comparing infant mortality rates in rural counties, small and medium urban counties, and large urban counties in 2007 and 2015.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 66(41), 1122
Date: 10/2017
Type: Chart/Graph
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Illicit Drug Use, Illicit Drug Use Disorders, and Drug Overdose Deaths in Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Areas — United States
Reports on trends in illicit drug use, illicit drug use disorders, and overdose deaths in large metropolitan, small metropolitan, and nonmetropolitan areas, based on 2003–2014 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) data and 1999–2015 National Vital Statistics System Mortality (NVSS-M) data. Includes metro/nonmetro illicit drug use data by sex, age group, race/ethnicity, and household income. Includes data on metro/nonmetro drug overdose deaths by sex, race/ethnicity, intent (unintentional, homicide, suicide, undetermined), and age group.
Author(s): Karin A. Mack, Christopher M. Jones, Michael F. Ballesteros
Citation: MMWR Surveillance Summaries, 66(19), 1-12
Date: 10/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Suicide Trends Among and Within Urbanization Levels by Sex, Race/Ethnicity, Age Group, and Mechanism of Death — United States, 2001–2015
Reports on county-level trends in suicide rates during 2001–2015 for large metropolitan, medium/small metropolitan, and nonmetro counties. Includes data by gender, race/ethnicity, and age group. Covers the mechanism of death, with data on firearms, hanging/suffocation, drug poisoning, non-drug poisoning, and other causes.
Author(s): Asha Z. Ivey-Stephenson, Alex E. Crosby, Shane P. D. Jack, Tadesse Haileyesus, Marcie-jo Kresnow-Sedacca
Citation: MMWR Surveillance Summaries, 66(18), 1-16
Date: 10/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Despair as a Cause of Death: More Complex Than It First Appears
Describes studies showing urban-rural and racial/ethnic comparisons of premature deaths due to self-destructive behaviors and possible underlying social and economic factors in the communities.
Author(s): Ana V. Diez Roux
Citation: American Journal of Public Health, 107(10), 1566-1567
Date: 10/2017
Type: Document
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The Epidemic of Despair Among White Americans: Trends in the Leading Causes of Premature Death, 1999–2015
Evaluates trends in cause-specific death rates for adults ages 25-64, from 1999-2001 and 2013-2015. Features statistics including cause of death, age, race, and urbanization level in the United States, with breakdowns by large urban, suburban, small/medium metropolitan, and rural areas.
Author(s): Elizabeth M. Stein, Keith P. Gennuso, Donna C. Ugboaja, Patrick L. Remington
Citation: American Journal of Public Health, 107(10), 1541-1547
Date: 10/2017
Type: Document
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Passenger Vehicle Occupant (PVO) Deaths and Seat Belt Use among Rural Americans
Policy brief focused on motor vehicle deaths and seat belt use in rural areas. Provides an overview of the issue and identifies policy options and case studies related to seat belt use laws and enforcement.
Date: 09/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Rural and Urban Differences in Passenger-Vehicle–Occupant Deaths and Seat Belt Use Among Adults — United States, 2014
Examines motor-vehicle crash deaths and seat belt use by level of rurality. Includes regional rural-urban data on death rates and type of state seat belt enforcement law (primary or secondary). Also provides data on unrestrained passenger-vehicle occupants in fatal crashes by level of rurality. For self-reported seat belt use, includes demographic data for metropolitan and nonmetro counties.
Author(s): Laurie F. Beck, Jonathan Downs, Mark R. Stevens, Erin K. Sauber-Schatz
Citation: MMWR Surveillance Summaries, 66(17), 1-13
Date: 09/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Infant Mortality Rates in Rural and Urban Areas in the United States, 2014
Reports on infant mortality in 2014 among rural, small and medium urban, and large urban counties. Includes data by infant age at death for neonatal (0-27 days) and postneonatal (28-364 days) deaths. Provides infant mortality data by mother's age and by mother's race for non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic Black, and Hispanic mothers.
Author(s): Danielle M. Ely, Anne K. Driscoll, T.J. Mathews
Date: 09/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Health Statistics
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